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Tuesday, 26 April 2016

For hundreds of years, the gates of Tarragon have been sealed from the outside. Prophecy speaks of the day the last Key Keeper will return and wake the dragons from their spell-cast slumber, returning them to their rightful home.

Seeking to fulfill her father's dying wish, Anwen Porter travels to the Drakonii Mountains where she meets Tyler, a mysterious local with a secret. With his help, she learns more about her clouded past and her own abilities. But when Courtney, a lovesick mage, tries to insert herself into their plans, things begin to go horribly wrong.

With death threatening at every turn, Anwen must learn to rely on her newfound friends to survive. But how can she unravel the mystery of her heritage when everything is trying to kill her?

Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally

Snippet 3: “When are you going to tell her?”Tyler opened his eyes at Courtney's question. “Tell her what, exactly?”Courtney didn't meet his eyes as she rummaged in her pack for something to munch on. “About what you are.” She pulled out a packet of granola and opened it.Tyler's eyes went amber for a brief moment, but returned to their usual blue. “I don't know. One thing at a time, I guess. She's already been through a lot. I don't want to overwhelm her.”“A bit late for that, don't you think,” Courtney understated with a roll of her eyes. “She's been attacked, knocked out, drowned, and who knows what else. I’m sure hearing you're a dragon will hardly make a dent in the bucket, if you know what I mean.”Tyler smiled at that. “True. But what if I’m not ready to tell her?”

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Sunday, 24 April 2016

For ages League mothers have told their children terrifying stories about the Black Hats: a sect of murderous women eager to slay anyone who falls into their grasp, always searching for their next victim.

Only Sisterhood of Light have been able to counter their evil. When a Black Hat is taken prisoner aboard Captain Davage's ship, the Sisters have every intention of executing her, but they are astounded when the captain refuses to allow it.

Captain Davage has gotten a glimpse of the Black Hat's face, and is shocked. Though no one but a Sister would ever willingly face a Black Hat, he enters her cell.

The woman sitting there bears an exact resemblance to a beloved friend of the Captain's-a friend who is dead. Immediately, the Black Hat known as Sygillis of Metatron plots Captain Davage's murder and, though the Sisters are near, none can protect him from her fury

Is it possible that two sworn enemies may fall in love? Can remorseless evil be redeemed in the end? Good and evil, love and hate, only one side can triumph in The League of Elder: Sygillis of Metatron, a galactic journey full of romance, suspense, and the unexpected.

Ren Garcia is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Texas native who grew up in western Ohio. He has been writing since before he could write, often scribbling alien lingo on any available wall or floor with assorted crayons. He attended The Ohio State University and majored in English Literature. Ren has been an avid lover of anything surreal since childhood, he also has a passion for caving, urban archeology and architecture. His highly imaginative "League of Elder" book series is published by Loconeal Publishing

This book was quite enjoyable. I liked getting pulled into
this new world. The descriptions and personality traits of the characters are
well thought out. The world comes complete with its own possibilities, magic and
technology. I rarely got lost in descriptions and was able to keep from getting
too muddled up with the large group of characters you get introduced to. It
takes a great Author to paint each character so completely that even with a
large cast you can still remember which character is which.

It is a very long book to the point I thought I was at the
end but it turns out I was barely in the middle (I couldn’t see page numbers or
how far along I was through the book on the program I used to read it) It could
have easily been split into two books. But even if it had been split into two
books I would have wanted to read both of them.

The only thing that I struggled with was occasionally having
a back story that interrupts the narrative, (like giving the awesome back story
of a weapon in the middle of a lull during a battle) The back stories are
really well told and enjoyable to read just once or twice a bit out of place at
that particular time.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by Ren Garcia. I would really recommend this book to anyone who
likes fantasy, science fiction, or immense worlds to let your imagination loose
in.

Character Casting

The Author has had artwork commissioned so you can get a look
of exactly what he feels the characters look like!

Captain Davage and Sygillis of Metatron

Captain Davage –
Celebrated Pilot and a Lord of the League

Sygillis of Metatron – A Feared Black Hat (a sect of
murderous women eager to slay anyone who falls into their grasp, always
searching for their next victim.)

Saturday, 16 April 2016

"Aislin is cursed. A regular college student at night and a swan during the day, Aislin can only break the curse by finding her true love. But when her beloved discovers the truth, will his fear override their love? This modern adaptation of Swan Lake will help you discover what love really means."

Kaki Olsen is always on the brink of another adventure. If she couldn't be a writer, she'd be a full-time musician or travel guide and she would take her lunch breaks at Fenway Park. Until that happens, she speaks both Spanish and English at her every-day office job, but she has vacationed enthusiastically in such places as Istanbul and Ireland. She has lived in five states, but will always refer to Boston as home.

She regularly contributes academic papers on zombies or wizards to Life, the Universe and Everything, a sci-fi/fantasy symposium originated at her alma mater, Brigham Young University. Her published works have appeared in such magazines as Voices and AuthorsPublish.

She is a doting aunt and librarian of two bulging bookshelves.Q & A with the Author:

5. When did you start writing, and was
there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?
I started writing when I was 7 and still have the crappy little fairy
tale that I wrote then--The Princess Who Never Smiled. In 9th grade, I
had a teacher who was so frustrated by my work that she told me I was never
going to be intelligent enough to understand literature. The next paper I
wrote was on Elie Wiesel's Night. I read that book in the
corner of a train station in Boston and cried for the last half of it.
When I got my paper back, that same teacher had given me an A. I
never got anything else in the rest of my classes with her and she left for a
new job the same year that I transferred schools. When it came for me to
apply to schools, she told Brigham Young University that I was the most
talented writer she'd taught and that if they didn't want me, she would
convince me to apply to Harvard where she taught. They
let me in.

6.Are you
currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it? I'm
currently working on a million. I have 55 plots running around in my head
and am usually actively researching or developing at least 5. The novels
I'm writing are The Matchmaker's Apprentice (The third son of a
royal family finds himself suddenly heir to the throne and has to find a bride
with the help of local matchmakers) and Scions and Saints (A girl
is orphaned at eight and grows up determined to join the war against her
parents' murderers; meanwhile, her mother is the unwilling leader of the revolution
that her husband started ten years ago before he faked their deaths). I'm
writing a novella called Check-in about a possessed phone
whose ghost tries to save a kidnapped girl's life. I have two short
stories--Just One Chance (A dragon-smuggling android discovers that
she miscalculated the flight time to the destination when her cargo starts to
hatch) and Birdsong From A Forgotten World (A 15-year-old French
girl joins her family on a ship heading to a new colony world as the only
violinist going into space). I'm also editing The Deserter, which
is best described as what would happen if Harry Potter disappeared, the Death
Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix were tracking him down and the last person
to see him alive was Hermione, who has forgotten that he ever existed.
Like I said, I have a million things to wrap up.

I think it's inevitable that every high school student read
Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa, a traveling
salesman, wakes up one day as a giant cockroach. He tries to normal life,
even when everything's changed. He can't work or go out. He can't
find joy in things that used to make him happy. He overhears
conversations about what a burden he is to the rest of the family.
Eventually, he allows himself to die to put an end to that.

In all of Aislin's years of homeschooling, I only asked to change the
curriculum once. When Mom mentally replaced Gregor with Aislin, she
removed it from the planned reading list without further argument

It may be just a story, but I've seen some of the guilt Aislin feels for
the circumstances she didn't ask for. If anyone in this world knew what
it was to wake up one day with a different life, it would be her.

Aislin has always said that I try to compensate for her lack of a life
with my own activities. She scoffs at my attempts to keep her life
normal, but I would rather risk her scorn than let her believe that she has
nothing to contribute to our lives.

As far as I know, Aislin has never read that novella, but I'm sure that
she knows the story too well.

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Lia Savage reluctantly puts her dream of opening a dessert boutique on hold to help her dad remodel a castle he’s inherited in Washington State. Soon, a specter targets her younger sister.

Lia enlists the help of strapping Coop Montgomery, the head gardener and her former crush. As they search together for a way to rid the castle of its ghost, the romance she used to dream about with Coop kindles. But Lia’s gentle giant means to stay in Washington while she’s determined to return to California. She must find the courage to face both the ghost and her future.

5.When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?

I've
had stories running through my head since I was a little girl. I played
around with writing short stories in college but no never anything
seriously. Then, in 2010, I decided to see if I could even write a
full-length novel. Did my own NaNoWriMo in January and wrote 80,000
words. And I was hooked.

6.Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it?

I'm
working on a novella right now for the Sweet & Sassy anthology.
I've been enjoying getting to know the characters and having fun
figuring out how I want them to get to the end I have in mind. I've also
got the first drafts written for three novels (the 3rd book in the Safe
Harbors series and a YA portal fantasy duology). Very different from
each other.

My top favorite (nonreligious) things:

Family

Friends

Books

League of Legends

Books

Traveling

Books

Movies

Books

Books

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Thursday, 14 April 2016

In a candid and witty memoir, Jodi recounts how her life was transformed when, as a thirty-three-year-old wife and mother, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Unwilling to accept her new fate, Jodi's family searches for a doctor who will join their fight against the odds. But when the surgery that could save her life thrusts her into battle with a devastating spinal fluid leak and facial paralysis, even her own children fear her new appearance and physical failings. Jodi perseveres, even with an injured body and spirit. Interweaving the inspiring, provoking, and sometimes disturbing, Jodi reveals the hells and highs of her journey as she fights for hope and purpose—and life.

Jodi Orgill Brown is inspired by people who live fulfilled lives in spite of their struggles. She loves spending time with her muses, namely, her husband Tolan, and their four children, Trenden, Lindi, Casen, and Daven. Her favorite outing locations include Hebgen Lake, Montana, Hawaii’s North Shore, the rolling hills and woods of Virginia, the Weber River Parkway Trail, and even her own backyard. When she is not writing, reading, or enjoying family time, you'll find Jodi visiting neighbors or having lunch with a girlfriend on 25th Street in Ogden. She loves learning principles through analogies and she discovers inspiration all around her, from nature, stories, friends, and especially from her children. Jodi holds a BA in communications from Brigham Young University, an MS in organizational communications and leadership from the University of Utah, and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). She is the founder of Amplio Development, and is dedicated to living and teaching personal improvement. She resides in northern Utah with her husband and their four children. Book Jodi as a keynote speaker, consultant, or presenter: Email: ampliodevelopment@gmail.com Website: www.ampliodevelopment.comQ & A with the Author:

3.What is the thing you struggle with
the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

Putting other things ahead of my writing is always a struggle. Though my
love is writing, and my goals center around my writing projects, getting up
everyday and DOING what I love is a challenge. There are always other things
that “need” to be or “could” be done. My best defense against not working on my
writing goals is deadlines and accountability. When I tell someone else I am
going to achieve a deadline, I am more likely to push myself to meet that
deadline. If I am the only one who knows about the timeframe, it can too easily
slip. I need accountability and I thrive on it.

4.Which of your personality traits did
you write into you characters? (Deliberately or accidentally)

All of them! Since my book is a personal memoir, my traits (good and
bad) are evident, both through my “character”, as well as through some of the
storylines I chose to focus on. Yes, part of me is a perfectionist and control
freak. That is highlighted in my story when I lost control of my life and
health due to a brain tumor.

The wrestling match began when the sun went down. Exhaustion gripped
first, flipped me upside down and pinned me against the night. Pain grabbed
hold and wouldn’t let go, tag teaming with despair to assure victory.

The spinal fluid leak and the on-again-off-again fevers created restless
days and endless nights. That evening, the ache in my head was worse than
usual.

Throbbing pressure lunged in and caught me in its clutch. Floundering
under the weight, I tapped out the only way I knew how. I pressed the small
button, and a saintly referee appeared at my bedside.

The night nurse with round pink cheeks and wavy russet hair appeared at
my corner with words of encouragement. But she informed me the medications were
maxed—no time-outs left.

Choking on tears, I sobbed, “I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.”

But she did not give up on me so easily. Brenda took my hand as aches
racked my body. Minutes ticked on, and agony threatened to consume me. But
Brenda held tight and didn’t let go.

An hour passed, and still the silent saint stood by my bed. With one
hand, she caressed my arm and stroked my head. With the other, she held my left
hand and never let go. She did not smile, but the corners of her mouth were
turned up and her eyes met mine at every glance.

Time slipped slowly away, and desperation with it. I hurt in ways I
could not describe to Brenda. Pain played the vigilant opponent, always there,
watching for my weaknesses, ready to attack. But that night, my rival did not
win. Brenda didn’t leave until the match ended. The physical torment remained,
but the desperation fled.

Brenda’s silent support saved me when my own strength did not.

By the time the first rays of light peaked through my window, I realized
again that angels do not always wear wings or flowing white robes. Sometimes
they appear as wrestling coaches or nurses in green scrubs.

During my weeks in the hospital, Brenda was my nurse for only one shift,
a fact I do not attribute to coincidence.

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About Me

I Love reading book Blurbs and little snippets or Excerpts. As much as I love reading books there are days when I prefer to read tons of book blurbs over reading an actual book. It is like going to the shops and getting one single piece of every type of sweetie from the Candy King display. I know, I am odd. But here is a blog focused on that strange quirk. Sometime I might branch out with other content but for now...